NIST to Host Three Presidential Innovation Fellows

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) expects to host three new Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) from the latest round announced yesterday by the White House.* The PIF program pairs top innovators from the private sector, nonprofits and academia with top innovators in government to collaborate during six-to-12 month “tours of duty” that aim to save lives, save taxpayer money and fuel job creation. Fellows are funded by the sponsoring agencies.


This is the second round of the PIF program, which began in 2012, and expands it to nine projects, five of which are new, including those that involve NIST. Applications to be a Round 2 Fellow will be accepted through March 17, 2013.


NIST’s three fellows will work on two different projects: Cyber-Physical Systems and MyData Initiatives. Cyber-Physical Systems refers to combining networking and information technology with physical systems to create a new generation of systems that integrate distributed networks of sensors, controls and processors. These new systems are on the cusp of unleashing innovation in areas such as manufacturing, transportation, utility infrastructures and buildings, including home appliances and remote sensors.**


NIST’s two Cyber-Physical Systems fellows will work with industry and government partners to create critically needed standards for interoperability, cybersecurity, and real-time data analytics based on integrated system architectures.


The NIST fellow in the MyData Initiatives project will work on the Green Button Initiative, which aims to enable energy customers to download their energy usage data securely in a machine-readable format directly from their utilities. NIST’s fellow will be part of a three-member “Green Button for America” team, the other two members of which will work from the Department of Energy.

*For more information on the program, or to apply, visit www.whitehouse.gov/InnovationFellows. The White House news announcement, “Throw Your Hat in the Ring for Round 2 of the Presidential Innovation Fellows Program,” is available atwww.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/05/throw-your-hat-ring-round-2-presidential-innovation-fellows-program.
** See related story in this issue, “New Reports Define Strategic Vision, Propose R&D Priorities for Future Cyber-Physical Systems”.